Non-Clinical jobs with health insurers are fairly numerous. Even better, medical director jobs with payors exist in all states. Physicians working non-clinically for health insurers typically serve as Medical Directors and start out as Associate Medical Directors.
The starting salary for such positions can vary. According to SEAK’s October 2017 Non-Clinical Careers for Physicians Conference speaker (a senior physician executive with a major insurer) on “Opportunities for Physicians with Health Insurers: You too can be a Medical Director” a good ballpark for a starting salary for a non-clinical job for a physician with a health insurance company as a medical director is $180,000-$220,000 per year. This salary does not include “all in” aspects such as annual bonuses/incentive compensation (which can be significant – 20%-30% of base salary), health insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, vision insurance, 401(k) matching, stock grants, stock options and other fringe benefits.
In terms of how the compensation of a physician working an alternative job with no patient care at an HMO, Health Insurance Company or other payor, one should also consider the amount of work (pay per hour). Corporate jobs for physicians working at a health insurance company typically are 40ish hour per week propositions. There is typically no call, no nights, and no weekends. Also consider commuting times or lack thereof. Many of the positions offer telecommuting and work from home. So on a per hour basis, compensation/money for a doctor working as a medical director at a health insurance company often WELL EXCEEDS compensation for direct patient care.